July 25

Births

1925: William "Benny" Benjamin (Drummer for The Funk Brothers)

1934: Don Ellis (Jazz trumpeter)

1941: Manny Charlton (Lead Guitar for Nazareth)

1943: Jim McCarty (Drummer for The Yardbirds)

1946: Jose Chepito Areas (Percussion for Santana)

1951: Verdine White (Bass for Earth, Wind and Fire)

1958: Thurston Moore (Guitar & Vocals for Sonic Youth)

1969: Trevor Peres (Guitarist for Obituary)

1973: Dani Filth (Lead Vocals for Cradle Of Filth)

Events

1960: Roy Orbison reached No.2 on the US singles chart with ‘Only the Lonely,’ his first hit. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself.

1964: A first in cross-marketing history: Billboard reports that the Beatles' new film, A Hard Day's Night, has already made its production costs back on the soundtrack album.  The album stayed at the top of the UK charts for 21 weeks.

1965: Backed by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Dylan takes the stage at the Newport Folk Festival and plays his first-ever set of electric songs, horrifying many (but, contrary to legend, not all) in the crowd. After three songs, an upset Dylan says "Let's go, man, that's all," and the band leave the stage, only to be coaxed back out by Peter, Paul and Mary to play two more originals in the more "appropriate" acoustic manner. (Mainly because the band, a last-minute idea of Dylan's, only knew the three songs.)

1969: At the end of their gig at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Crosby, Stills and Nash invite Neil Young on stage to back them on a couple of songs, and they like the result so much he almost immediately becomes part of the band.

1975: A California federal judge rules that San Francisco had a right to arrest Miracles singer Smokey Robinson the previous year, even though his name only matched the alias of the criminal he was confused with.

1978: John Lydon (Lead singer of The Sex Pistols) forms rock group Public Ltd Image.

1980: KISS introduced their new drummer, Eric Carr, at a concert at the Paladium in New York City.

1980: AC/DC released their sixth internationally released studio album 'Back In Black', the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33. The album has sold an estimated 49 million copies worldwide to date, making it the second highest-selling album of all time, and the best-selling hard rock or heavy metal album.

1984: Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton died of a heart attack at 58 years old.

1990: Roseanne Barr sings (?) National Anthem at San Diego Padre game. She was booed for her performance.

1992: Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa become the proud parents of their first child, Evan James.

1995: Legendary Jazz singer Nina Simone is arrested for firing a pellet gun at noisy teenagers playing near her home in the south of France, for which she is placed on an 18-month probation and ordered to seek counseling.

1995: Country singer Charlie Rich died from a blood clot in his lung.

1997: Bassist Rick Danko (The Band) gets suspended sentence in Japan for drug smuggling.

1999: The 30th Anniversary of Woodstock ends, unlike the 25th Anniversary, with riots, fires, looting, three rapes, and other crimes, including three accidental deaths. In addition, several fans are hospitalized from drinking polluted water.

2001: The Doors' John Densmore, Bonnie Raitt, and others are arrested in Itasca, IL, for demonstrating against a company which they claim destroys the rainforest.

2002: Two former members of Destiny's Child settled out of court over the lyrics to 'Survivor', which they claimed were libellous. LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, who left the group in 2000 said that the song broke an agreement, which stops both sides making 'any public comment of a disparaging nature concerning one another'. The line, which they were suing over, said 'You thought that I'd be stressed without you, but I'm chillin'. You thought I wouldn't sell without you, sold nine million'.

2003: Erik Braunn from American psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, died of cardiac failure at the age of 52. Braunn was just 16 years old when he joined Iron Butterfly who had the 1968 US No.14 single 'In-A- Gadda-Da-Vida’.

2004: Jimmy Buffett went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘License To Chill’, the singer / songwriters first No.1 album.